This Technology Uses Cameras to Detect Angry and Irritated Drivers

Swiss scientists are developing emotion-detecting cameras that could be located in cars to film drivers’ faces and ascertain their emotional state.

Facial expression reading technology can identify the so-called seven universal emotions of fear, anger, joy, sadness, disgust, surprise, or suspicion. This technology has been used in video game development, medicine, marketing and is now being explored for driver safety.

Emotional state has long been known to be a risk factor for drivers. Anger and irritation in particular can make drivers more aggressive and less attentive to events on the road. The researchers, in collaboration with car-maker PSA Peugeot Citroën, developed an emotion-detector that uses an infra-red camera to analyse driver facial expressions.

In tests, the prototype version of the system worked successfully, with irritation being accurately detected in most cases. Future tests will look into how the technology can be directly used to improve driver safety.